24 THE BOOK OF THE DOG. 



dogs strongly object to being washed, and are prepared to make an effort to escape at a 

 moment's notice. If they succeed in doing so the result is usually disastrous; for, in 

 addition to wetting everything in the house, a dog invariably, if he can, goes outside to roll, 

 and if he does so, has to be washed over again. Jf his collar is worn during his ablutions, 

 it is very likely to stain his neck, as it probably requires a wash itself, and the best plan is 

 to have a clean leather strap handy to put on your dogs whilst they are being washed, and 

 which is reserved for this purpose only. Some people maintain that they can hold a dog by 

 the scruff of the neck when they are washing him, but their grasp when he is covered with 

 soap must be very precarious. 



In some cases, where a number of dogs have to be washed, and the object is more to 

 cleanse their skins than to get them up for show purposes, no tub is used, but they are 

 merely stood over the drain grating in the kennel, and some water poured over them ; the 

 soap is then applied, their coats rinsed out with cold water, and they are dried and sent back 

 to their kennels. This is an unnecessarily untidy and unsatisfactory course, as, if a tub is used, 

 there need be hardly any water spilt, and the washing can be far more thoroughly carried 

 out. The best sort of tub is one about three feet wide across the top, and some fifteen to 

 eighteen inches high at the sides. One end of a large barrel sawn through makes an admirable 

 tub, and care should be taken to have a hole in the bottom, in which a cork is fitted, as 

 by this means the dirty water can be let run off without making an unnecessary mess in the 

 kennel. We always had our own washing-bath placed on trestles over the drain near the water- 

 tap in the kennel. One end of an india-rubber tube was placed on the nose of the tap, and 

 the other hung over the side of the tub ; by this plan only the hot water had to be brought 

 in pails, and any amount of cold was at the kennelman's disposal when he required it. As 

 soon as the water was done with the cork was removed and the dirty water poured into the 

 drain, not a tea-cupful being spilt about the kennel, and the tub was ready for the second 

 dog by the time the first was dried. 



The ordinary appliances necessary for washing a dog are, in addition to the tub, a large 

 sponge, an empty jam-pot or other small vessel, a lump of soap (white curd for choice), and 

 something to dry him with. We shall allude to washing for show purposes later on. Stand 

 the dog up in the tub, which should be three parts full of moderately hot water, to which a 

 little soda may be added, and wet his coat thoroughly through ; this can be done by baling 

 the water over him by means of the jam-pot above alluded to. When he is saturated with 

 the water, commence by soaping his face and head, and get this completed and washed out 

 before you go on to his body, legs, and tail, in the order named. Take care that the soap 

 is well rubbed in, but be careful to let as little as possible reach his eyes. The head once 

 done with, the rest is tolerably easy work in the case of most dogs ; but it is always well 

 to be prepaied for efforts to escape being made. When he is well lathered all over his body 

 and legs, and the soap thoroughly rubbed into his skin, the jam-pot must be again resorted to 

 to remove the soap by baling the water over him. Finally, before lifting him out of the 

 tub, it is well to give the dog a douche of cold water, as it not only cleanses his jacket of 

 the soap, but diminishes the chances of his taking cold. Our arrangement of the india-rubber 

 tube referred to above was here particularly serviceable, as the cold stream could be so 

 readily applied to any part of the body. 



When removed from his tub a dog is always anxious to shake himself, and rub himself 

 on the ground ; to the first proceeding there is not much objection, but the disadvantages of 

 the latter are obvious. Before lifting him out of the tub, he should be partially dried by 



